Let us introduce some of our inspiring graduates who use French on daily basis in their professional life.
Mgr. Dana Dobšíčková
Our graduate Dana Dobšíčková is an English and French teacher and founder of a private language school Smiling Snake in Bratislava. In 2020 she was a Teacher of the Year finalist in Slovakia. Way back in 2012, she promoted teaching online and created a manual for distance learning and teaching which noticeably eased her transition to online education during the global pandemic in 2019.
Mgr. Anna Kabelková
I currently teach at Tyršova Elementary School in Brno where 2 years ago I introduced French as another option for L3 (before my arrival, students used to choose between German and Spanish). I motivate students to choose French by opening a non-compulsory French Club where the 6th and 7th-graders have the opportunity to get acquainted with French and decide whether they would be interested in enrolling on it in their 8th grade. An integral part of the French Club is also making and tasting French pancakes!
Mgr. Hana Šimáčková
Hana Šimáčková is a French teacher. Since 2014, she has been specializing in online teaching. She is interested in technology and enjoys finding various online tools that diversify and simplify the work of an online teacher. Hana is the author of the project ProfHanka for studying French, and co-author of the project Digital Lecturers in which she and Ivana Kudrnová help language teachers teach online.
How did you use your studies at the Department of French Language and Literature in your profession?
I was studying at the Department of French at the Faculty of Education in Brno for 6 years, of which I spent 1 year in France as an Erasmus student. Although I was not at all sure of the choice of my studies at the time, in the end I never regretted it. Teaching French became my job and my main hobby. During my studies at the Faculty of Education, I learned the pedagogical-psychological foundations which are often underestimated during the studies but in practice they are a necessity. I learned to be creative, to invent fun activities, to plan lessons effectively, to communicate with students. At the Department of French, I learned perfect French, at a level I would not have achieved by travelling and living in a French-speaking country. Correct spelling, thousands of exceptions, verb tenses that are not used in oral expressions, analysis of phonemes and their exact pronunciation, etymology of words, writing argumentative texts and dissertations... Before exams, we all consider this the necessary evil which will never be useful for us in real life. But the opposite is true. I took advantage of everything I learned during my studies. I consider a perfect knowledge of academic language a necessity which helps me give my students exactly what they need and make a difference between those who want to prepare for international exams and those who just want to speak French during their holiday.